AES E-Library

AES E-Library

Symphony Orchestra Recording for Interactive Opera Performances

Network technology and its applications open the possibilities for conventional art forms to find alternative ways of expressions leading to new user experiences. A significant feature is interactivity, which enables the user to become a co-creator of the experience. One of the more traditional art forms is the opera, which thus can be enhanced and developed. In order to provide content that allows for interaction, specific strategies and techniques have to be utilised from the start of the production. When user influence over a symphony orchestra sound is desired, the different parts of the orchestra have to be recorded separately. In this paper, considerations regarding the recording process involving a real full-scale symphony orchestra are reported. It is concluded that such a production requires either compromises in the recording process or new ways of doing the recordings in order to fully utilise the potential of interactivity